Middle School Math Curriculum
Student-Centered Math Curriculum Solution
These high-quality middle school math programs prepare 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students with powerful mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Includes two unique middle school programs and a support class:
Inspiring Connections
• Meaningful Mathematics
• Multimodal program utilizing both digital & print materials
• Dynamic teacher-guided pacing technology
• Intentional mix of digital, print, and manipulatives
• Consumable student book called the Mathematician’s Notebook
Core Connections
• CPM’s time-tested program
• Based on research & CPM’s Three Pillars
• Option of digital and/or print materials
• English and Spanish
Explore CPM's Curriculum
Inspiring Connections Middle School Curriculum
Resources
Blend of Print & Digital
What does a full blend of print and digital look like? In this multimodal series, digital and print materials work in tandem to maximize student engagement. The choice of medium for each aspect of a lesson is based on how and where students learn best.
- Digital components, like pacing, eTools, and eWorkspace, and print components, like the Mathematician’s Notebook, are used strategically to engage students in mathematical thinking. Both media are essential.
- Students will split time between different venues, such as vertical non-permanent surfaces (VNPSs) and devices with an internet connection that provide access to technology-enhanced lessons.
A Student Companion: The Mathematician’s Notebook
Students have a personal notebook to record the messy work of learning. Here, they highlight key concepts, questions, rough draft thinking, mistakes, corrections, and their inspirations. The Mathematician’s Notebook provides diagrams and graphs for students to work with, and plenty of space so that students have room for error and experimentation.
Learning Targets
Concise goals for each lesson are presented to the teacher and to students in the chapter introductions, referenced in the Reflection & Practice problems, and revisited in Chapter Closures. The Mathematician’s Notebook contains a printed copy of the Learning Targets where students can keep track of their progress throughout the course.
A Variety of Venues
Problems are designed to facilitate student learning per the learning intent. To maximize student sensemaking and engagement, lessons have been intentionally constructed using a variety of venues for student work.
- Paper-based Mathematician’s Notebook
- Vertical non-permanent surfaces (VNPSs)
- Technology-enhanced lessons
- Work with manipulatives at a table or desk
Teacher Guides
Inspiring Connections guides teachers through lessons.
Authors’ Vision
The authors describe how they envision the lesson progressing. These notes are summarized into brief descriptions, which can serve as a reminder after reading the full Authors’ Vision.
Lesson at a Glance
The Lesson at a Glance provides a quick orientation to the lesson. It lists things to consider as you prepare to teach the lesson: the overview, learning intent, materials needed, aligning standards, and additional resources.
Lessons Designed from Beginning to End
Lessons are designed for students to work in teams during a 45-minute period.
- Door Questions invite students to share a little about themselves. This daily practice builds community and helps the teacher get to know the students.
- The Launch at the beginning of each lesson engages students and awakens their curiosity. The Launch may introduce the mathematical content for the day or it may be a part of one of the larger threads that run throughout the course, including number sense, data science, and community building.
- The Explore provides a variety of engaging activities. Students work together to solve problems in teams using various venues.
- The Closure summarizes critical concepts explored during the lesson. Students reflect on either the key learning for the day or a social-emotional learning thread.
- Reflection & Practice provides mixed, spaced problems designed for independent practice.
Team Roles & Strategies
Team Roles
Students collaborate in teams for the large majority of class time. As a means to help all students have a voice and be an integral part of their team, four roles are presented in the Prelude and referred to throughout the curriculum. The roles are Representative, Coordinator, Organizer, and Investigator.
Strategies
A variety of Study Team and Teaching Strategies (STTS) are suggested in the Authors’ Vision throughout Inspiring Connections. These strategies may be used to help structure team interactions and facilitate engagement. As you gain experience with the curriculum and get to know your students, you will likely develop your own favorite strategies to use regularly.
Table of Contents
Inspiring Connections Course 1-3
Inspiring Connections Testimonials
Core Connections Middle School Curriculum
Resources
Study Teams
- Students work in teams of 2-4
- Creates environment for students to discuss, share ideas, and articulate their thinking
- Provides security, empowering students to take risks
eTools for Exploration
- Activities to build conceptual understanding
- CPM proprietary tools, algebra tiles and integer tiles, and integrated digital activities
Learning Logs
- Prompts students to reflect on their learning
- Students describe their understanding in their own words
- Provide closure to a lesson or clarification of a concept
Tool Kits
- Consumable items and working documents for student learning
- Includes Learning Log entries, Math Notes, images from student edition
- Students create personal reference tools
Mixed, Spaced Practice with Homework Help
- Provides students practice with past material
- Lays a foundation for future learning
- Multiple opportunities for students to revisit skills
- Homework Help linked from eBook includes solved problems, hints to get started, and references to previously solved problems
Puzzle Investigator
- Students focus on the process of solving interesting, complex problems
- Students develop skills to show, explain, and justify their work and thoughts
Parent Guide
- Designed to help families support students outside the classroom
- Arranged by chapter and topic
- Includes alternative explanation of key ideas, helpful examples, and additional practice problems with solutions problems
Lesson Mathcasts for Teachers
- Aide in preparing lessons
- Outlines the lesson problems
- Gives suggestions for facilitating the teams
Table of Contents
Core Connections, Course 1-3
Core Connections Correlations
Inspirations & Ideas - Support Class
8th Grade Support
- Support students in CPM’s Core Connections, Course 3 who sometimes struggle with mathematics.
- Sudents in Inspirations & Ideas will be concurrently enrolled in Core Connections.
- A non-graded course, with no homework and no summative assessments.
Course Structure
Inspirations & Ideas is a compilation of lessons, arranged appropriately in units, that convey multiple objectives. Although each unit may not fully address a single objective, as a compilation, the objectives are met. The course does not attempt to address every content standard in the 8th grade curriculum. Rather, the math content in the course is used as a vehicle to change students’ beliefs and attitudes about math. Inspirations & Ideas focuses on the following themes:
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Incorrect ideas are often necessary to develop correct ideas. • Honoring mistakes • Trial and error/Guess and Check Mathematics is visual. • Multiple representations • Patterns Effective communication in mathematics should be practiced. • Giving and receiving effective math feedback • Justifying mathematics verbally and in writing Problem-solving strategies make problems accessible. • Working backwards • Making the problem smaller • Organizing information Building relationships is vital to a positive classroom environment. * Individual progress checks with the teacher • Student reflection journals • Goal setting Students can re-engage with mathematics in new ways. • Ratio • Proportion • Equivalence • Solving • Numeracy • Patterns • Graphing • Fractions • Exponents
This course focuses on:
- Cognitively demanding grade-level content
- Rich mathematics tasks
- Student–teacher relationships
- Students’ problem-solving abilities
- Fostering number sense
- Productive struggle
- Mathematical justifications
- Building an interest in math
- Establishing and monitoring challenging goals
- Supporting teachers in course implementation